Stanley: Gold Prospecting in Custer County, Idaho

Quick details

Access

Permission required

County

Custer County

State

Idaho

Nearest road

Eva Falls Avenue

Postcode

83278

Coordinates

44.22340, -114.94918

Geology at Stanley

This spot sits on Alluvial deposits, mapped as sand and gravel that formed within roughly the last 12,000 years. Stream-worked gravels like these are where placer gold tends to concentrate, settling toward bedrock, inside gravel bars, and behind boulders.

Mapped unit

Alluvial deposits

Age

< 1 Ma (Holocene)

Rock types

sand and gravel

Elevation

6,240 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Best time to visit Stanley

Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 80°F in midsummer and 26°F in midwinter, with winter lows near -3°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, STANLEY station (1 mi away).

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• Idaho Panhandle National Forests — Emerald Creek
• Idaho Geological Survey
• Spencer Opal Mines (fee-dig operator)
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules

Found at Stanley

Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.

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